A Dog's Eye View
by RainyJ.T
Summary: The point of my ramblings is only this: a simple question.  How do humans miss so much of the blatantly obvious? A Neal/Peter slash fic from Satchmo's point of view. Multi-chapter fic, no spoilers.
1. The Man With the Hat

You know, dogs are much more perceptive than humans tend to think. Despite the wet noses and wagging tails we are actually creatures of quite high intelligence! We are very observant, and with the use of our heightened senses, we notice quite a lot more than humans. For example, an old cookie crumb that happened to fall and be pushed under the refrigerator would be left forgotten by a mere human, but for us dogs… ooh, the scent is so alluring! We just can't get our minds off of the thought of that poor, lonely crumb being wasted! So we paw and paw at the floor until our human gets down on their hands and knees and cleans under the fridge. What would you poor creatures do without us? We help you clean your house, we give you a loving companion that just happens to laugh when you fall on your-

Anyway, I've gotten off track. The point of my ramblings is only this: a simple question. How do humans miss so much of the blatantly obvious? Not that I'm blaming you, because that would be rude of me and I am a very kind dog. I would never do such a thing! As a dog, you think that I am merely there to be your friend and lick you and be petted and loved in return, however that is not the case. As I began earlier, dogs are very observant. Now, you may think that our skills in observation are simply used for food and love and all of the lovely things that I mentioned before, but this is simply not true, I assure you! We love to watch humans converse with their friends and family (after all, I only have my human so what else would I do?). We love humans so much that we have become very aware of their emotions. Us dogs love to attempt to help in their love lives, (and we honestly apologize if they find us a burden in our endeavor to be of use to them) and we find great joy in knowing if it all works out!

So I am going to give you a very long, and possibly extremely drawn out example of this, for I take great joy in my accomplishment! Not that I'm bragging, because once again I am a very good dog and would never do such an ungodly act such as that. Now, where to begin… the beginning of course!

When my master, Peter, brought the man with the hat home with him for the first time, I wasn't sure what to think. I knew that Master loves to have friends over, but he seemed very stressed and aggravated (of course I lovingly laid my head on his lap to comfort him; I would not be a good dog if I hadn't. But that is beside the point.) about this new, strange man being in his house. However, my other master Elizabeth did not seem to mind his company, so I did not attack him. I wanted to, because he was making Peter very angry but I refrained. After all, my temptation is my demise (as I have learned from stealing even the slightest of nibbles from Elizabeth's lovely cooking)!

Look at me; I'm getting off track again! I humbly apologize. Anyway, the man (who I soon learned went by the name of Caffrey – or was it Neal?) was always very nice to me, and didn't seem vicious in any meaning of the word. I decided that I would let him come over more, if he wanted to. He even helped Elizabeth clean up after dinner, which made me very happy. I always tried to help her but I got in trouble, so I was glad that she found more acceptable help. After Neal left, my masters went up to their bed where Peter let out a great big sigh, which worried me immensely! I leapt into his lap and showered him with kisses, and I wagged my tail when he laughed. Once I was sure that he would be okay and was not leaking air anywhere, I dismounted the bed and decided to keep watch at the doorway.

I eavesdropped (it is one of my faults) on their conversation as I lay by the door.

"I think that he is a very nice young man," Elizabeth commented with a great big smile on her face. "You should let him come over more often; he seemed to really like it here."

"Elle, this is what he does! He loads on the charm, cases the place, and then suddenly everything valuable that we own is MIA. It's who he is," Peter explained.

"Honey, in case you didn't notice, he was very respectful of your boundaries. He didn't flirt with me much, and he was very careful not to say anything that would make you not let him come back." I knew that Elizabeth was always the voice of reason for Peter, and I was glad when he sighed again and nodded. He knew not to fight with her, because she is very strong willed. "Let's have him over again for dinner this weekend, and if he steals anything we can ban him from our home, sound good?"

Peter hummed in thought, and seeing Elizabeth's determined expression he nodded. As they turned off the lights and rolled over in bed, I stayed awake to ponder what had happened.

There was something about this new person that seemed to have Peter very confused. I wasn't sure, however, on what type of confusion it was. I decided that I would watch very carefully when Neal came over this weekend, because I had never seen Master act this way around another male figure before.

I was very confused.


	2. Elizabeth Understands

I humbly apologize for my lack of speed in story telling, but I assure you that my tale has not been forgotten. It is simply a difficult task to fulfill when your master does not know of your story. Now, I am most positive that I left us in the aftermath of the man I now know as Neal's first visit.

It had officially been decided, due to Elizabeth's stubborn and determined nature, that Neal would, be invited over for dinner on Saturday. The days between visits were normal, Master would come home with a story to tell of his adventures at work and Elizabeth would bring home deliciously smelling food for Master to try. I still have no knowledge as to why Master's face contorted in a way that seemed absolutely painful. The food smelled safe, but I suppose that I could be wrong. Maybe if Elizabeth let me try…

Anyway, on the day of Neal's second visit, Master had been acting rather strangely. He rushed around the house in a frantic manner, taking expensive things and shoving them in drawers. Master even pulled out the locks that he had used when I was just a puppy! I wasn't sure why he was going to such great lengths to keep these items safe, because I surely wasn't going to destroy them and Neal had seemed very careful during the previous visit. Had I misjudged him? I vowed to guard these items with my life, just in case. Master would be proud, I was sure.

The time had finally come for Neal to arrive, and he was perfectly punctual, of course. Elizabeth had rushed to the door and welcomed him inside, telling him to make himself at home. He was slightly unsure, I could smell it, but he smiled nonetheless and thanked her graciously, placing his hat on the rack and scratching behind my ears with a loving "hello, Satch." Master was still nowhere to be seen, most likely installing deadbolts and chains on the doors upstairs. Elizabeth seemed to notice as well, and called him downstairs to welcome their guest.

I could smell the tension between the two men as they shook hands. "Neal," was all that Master said as greeting. Neal responded with a cheery, "Peter." Elizabeth shook her head, muttering "you two are impossible" so quietly that I was sure I was the only one who heard it. Great hearing is one of the many advantages to being a dog.

Elizabeth ran off to check on the food, leaving Neal alone with Master. "Come on, Peter, at least try to look like your enjoying yourself for Elizabeth's sake. I'm not going to steal anything. Promise."

Master shook his head and put a hand on Neal's shoulder. "We'll see."

I do not think Master realized how hurtful his words were to Neal. His eyes were downcast and he nodded slowly. It disappeared as soon as Elizabeth sauntered into the room with a bowl full of spaghetti, commanding them to help her set the table, and was replaced by a perfectly fitting grin. I have wondered, ever since that day, how he did it. Even I could barely see the sadness anymore, and I have never come across another human that could hide his emotions as well as Neal. I trotted up to him and pushed my head under his hand. His smile was real now as he crouched down to pet me and play with my ears before he went to help set the table.

They ate with casual conversation, as most people do, but I could still sense the tension between Master and Neal. Master kept glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, and then to the drawer where he hid most of his valuable items. Neal noticed, I could tell, but he hid it and continued talking animatedly with Elizabeth. After all of the food was gone, the tension started to slip away a little. Master stopped watching Neal and Neal began to really smile more. Elizabeth and I both heard the way they talked to each other, and I rested my head in her lap and watched. She was smiling, so I was happy.

That was the day that Elizabeth knew. I only knew half of it, the half that I had decided to see.


End file.
